It is so hard to believe we have been home for 3 months now. Exhilirating yet Exhausting would be the title I would have to give this period in our lives. Alexandra brings so much energy and joy into our lives, yet there are still a fair share of challenges we face each day. Having the perspective of looking back though, we can see soooo many areas of improvement. Just some milestones that I have just noticed the last 2 weeks:
* we can strap Alex in her carseat and walk around the car without her screaming thinking we left her alone in the car
* I went to Drake's football game and actually held uninterupted conversations while Alexandra was still next to me entertaining herself
* Alex can fall asleep alone and sleep all night long without waking up (it doesn't happen every night, but is getting more and more regular!)
* she is riding her bike with training wheels all by herself
* I caught her correcting herself when she used Spanish instead of English (she isn't speaking only English, but is learning new vocabulary every day!)
* She can understand about 90% of what we tell her
* She is climbing in strangers arms/laps less and less often (good sign)
There is still work to be done and we stil have our fair share of embarrassing moments. Last week when a young man came to our door to offer to give us an estimate on guttering, I politely declined and said thank you. As he was walking away, Alexandra shouted "Thank You....I love you!" The look on his face as he turned around was priceless. Once again (I have this thought at least once a day) I thought, "Should I explain to him? Nah! Too hard, we'll just give him a good story to tell!"
She is getting to attend her fair share of sporting events with Becca's volleyball games and Drake's football games. She has become very popular with the kids at school and they love to try to figure out what she is saying. She has figured out how to yell "Go Panthers!" and loves to watch Drake "go boom" on the football field. (I don't like that quite as much!) We are having a good time working on English and school readiness stuff at home while Luke is here schooling 2nd grade. She and Luke have been able to form more of a bond being home together and my heart skipped a beat the day Luke walked over to her and asked her if he could help her learn her colors. He is slowly relinquishing the "baby" role in the family.
Alexandra is still incredibly active and strong and one of her favorite activities is playing "horsey" with her brothers, which usually turns into a wrestling match. She has gotten to spend time with her grandparents when they were here in August and thinks "Abuelo and Abuela" are quite fun. As her other "Abuelo" giggled at everything she did, she realized she had him wrapped around her little finger already.
After 3 months, she is very much a part of our family. We can't imagine what it would be like without her and know our lives will never go back to being the same. There are still so many experiences we look forward to with her and love watching God's hand working day after day!
